More retiring from Congress on the horizon

The holidays are drawing to a close, and for the political world a new season is dawning: retirement season.

The new year marks the unofficial starting gun of the campaign season and traditionally produces a flurry of announcements from members of Congress that they will not seek reelection in the fall — and officials from both parties predict this year will be no different.

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It’s already begun. Two days after Christmas, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) announced that he will forgo a third term rather than embark on a bruising reelection campaign — a decision that likely hands the seat to Republicans. Then, on Friday, Ohio Rep. Steve Austria also bowed out, citing a redistricting plan that pits him against a fellow Republican congressman.

Democratic officials say they are closely monitoring several other party members, including 73-year-old New York Rep. Maurice Hinchey and North Carolina Rep. Brad Miller, who faces a narrow road to a sixth term after Republicans drew him into the same seat as another Democratic incumbent in this year’s redistricting. Rep. Heath Shuler, another North Carolina Democrat in a challenging district, raised questions about whether he would retire after he told a local newspaper that being in Congress “gets old. You have to keep fighting and keep fighting, and sometimes, people just don’t listen.”

Whitney Mitchell, a Shuler spokeswoman, declined via email to elaborate on the congressman’s comments, saying only that “Congressman Shuler is currently and actively seeking reelection in 2012.”

Democrats have borne the brunt of most of the retirements this year. Seven Democrats and two Republicans in the Senate are not running again, and 17 Democrats and nine Republicans in the House are stepping aside. But senior GOP officials say three of the party’s oldest House members — Reps. Bill Young of Florida, Roscoe Bartlett of Maryland and Howard Coble of North Carolina — could announce departures in the days ahead. Additionally, Reps. Elton Gallegly and Jerry Lewis, both California Republicans, have been noncommittal about their 2012 plans.

If any of those members decide to leave Capitol Hill, history suggests they could make their plans clear in the immediate weeks ahead. During the 2010 campaign, five House members and two senators announced their retirement in the month following Christmas. In the 2008 election, four House members and one senator made public their plans to forgo reelection during the same time period.

“This is the period of time where most party leaders hold their breath,” said Chris LaCivita, a former National Republican Senatorial Committee political director. “They ask, ‘What’s the next shoe that’s going to drop?’”

The retirements typically mark a critical juncture in the emerging campaign, locking in candidate fields before a rush of springtime filing deadlines and primaries approaches.

Politicos say it’s no accident that members make career decisions around the holidays — a natural time for self-reflection that’s spent with family. With aides and party leaders — who are usually invested in seeing a lawmaker carry on — many miles away, a member can be more easily swayed to ditch Washington for good.

Readers' Comments (17)

A porkmeister like Bill Young leaving is a good thing. Now if we could just prevail upon Hal Rogers, Jerry Lewis and all the other "Cardinals" (to say nothing of ALL of the Democrats) to leave, we may actually get our Republic back. Oh, and balance a budget, too.

“Members leave town, can work less, see their families more, see their leadership less and sometimes find an angry electorate — all of which make retirement seem attractive.”

Yes the political landscape is full of angry voters at the moment. A multitude of reasons has been given for retirement redistrricting, family, angry voters etc... I wonder how many will leave because they don't want to be responsible for cleaning up the mess that they left behind. Everyone knows - politicians and angry voters know what must be done to address the unsustainable out of control debt and deficit spending that the current set of representatives created throughout the years(s). Everyone knows these politicians have had numerous committees, numerous hearings, numerous proposals, numerous opportunities and ample time to address the fiscal issues we all face, Everyone knows these politicians have ignored and wasted the publics time, publics wishes and the publics money. My guess rather than be held accountable for the problems these representatives have helped to create it is far easier to step aside, write books and cast stones at a new set of representatives that will be tasked with mopping the floor.

Term limits would solve their "difficult" decision. 80 & 85 years old!! Give me a break! Go to Washington to help the country and fulfill the will of the people and then get out and go back to work. NO, lifetime politicians!!

It is about time. People linger in Congress more for the power and the money than for the good of the country. Unfortunately, not everybody moves on or move out. Wish Pelosi and Reid would hit the road. Haven't they make enough money out of the taxpayers? I think that as long as their political trip is paid for by us, they will hang in there. There need to be change in the Senate as well, even if we fail short on the White House bid. Obama is too young and he is enjoying so much stuff he otherwise would not that I don't think he is ready to let go. Unfortunately we will be subsidizing his new found lifestyle for the rest of his life.

Are you people serious? If you think the vidoes you showed mean temper I wish I lived in your wolrd. Mitt had no way to get his own words said with these people so he had no choice but to raise his voice a little. That is not temper that is trying to make a statement over loud mouth people. Impolite individuals that won't stop talking to give Mitt a second to respond. If you let these people go on they would end up running the show and that should not happen that does not mean he has a temper. You want to know what a temper is talk to me about some of your leftist statements.